Pa. jobless rate drops as payrolls grow

Friday

Nov 16, 2012 at 6:05 PM

Pennsylvania's jobless rate is down for the first time in six months as employers expanded their payrolls slightly in October. The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent, as both overall employment and the number of people working or seeking work grew.

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania's jobless rate is down for the first time in six months as employers expanded their payrolls slightly in October.

The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent, as both overall employment and the number of people working or seeking work grew.

The national unemployment rate is 7.9 percent.

Pennsylvania's jobless rate had begun rising again after it dropped back to 7.4 percent from the recessionary peak of 8.7 percent in 2010.

The department estimates that payrolls increased by nearly 7,500 jobs in October. The total is now above 5.75 million nonfarm jobs, counting an upward revision of the September estimate by almost 11,000 jobs. Pennsylvania payrolls remain smaller than they were in 2006, before the recession started.